{"id":8235,"date":"2026-05-09T23:28:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T23:28:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/8235\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T23:28:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T23:28:25","slug":"your-ultimate-guide-to-the-queer-films-lighting-up-sydney-film-festival-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/8235\/","title":{"rendered":"Your ultimate guide to the queer films lighting up Sydney Film Festival 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sydney Film Festival is officially returning for its 73rd year, once again taking over the city with red carpets, filmmaker talks, afterparties and a stacked lineup of films.<\/p>\n

From June 3 to 14 the festival will be running across the iconic State Theatre, plus cinemas throughout the CBD, Newtown, Cremorne and Randwick<\/p>\n

The festival has built a reputation for championing bold, boundary-pushing cinema from around the globe.<\/p>\n

And this year? Queer film lovers are absolutely eating.<\/p>\n

From horny thrillers and queer horror to AIDS-era dramas, camp satire and tender love stories, here are some of the standout LGBTQIA+ films on the 2026 lineup.<\/p>\n

I Want Your Sex<\/p>\n

Directed by queer cinema icon Gregg Araki, I Want Your Sex<\/a> stars Olivia Wilde, Cooper Hoffman, Mason Gooding, Daveed Diggs and Charli XCX in a twisted erotic thriller about obsession, manipulation and murder.<\/p>\n

The film follows Elliot, a young assistant who becomes entangled with provocative artist Erika Tracy after becoming her sexual muse.<\/p>\n

Araki is a foundational figure in New Queer Cinema, previously winning Cannes\u2019 first-ever Queer Palm for Kaboom.<\/p>\n

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film is \u201cslick, provocative and deeply unserious in exactly the right ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Image: Sydney Film Festival
\nThe Man I Love<\/p>\n

Set in the late 1980s New York, The Man I Love<\/a> is the kind of emotionally devastating prestige drama likely to leave audiences quietly staring into the middle distance afterwards.<\/p>\n

Directed by acclaimed queer filmmaker Ira Sachs, the film stars Rami Malek as Jimmy George, a theatre icon confronting mortality during the AIDS crisis while pouring himself into one final performance.<\/p>\n

Sachs is already beloved for films like Keep the Lights On, which won the Berlinale Teddy Award.<\/p>\n

The film\u2019s queer lens is deeply baked in.<\/p>\n

From its historical setting to Sachs\u2019 own legacy as one of America\u2019s most celebrated gay independent filmmakers.<\/p>\n

\"\"Image: Sydney Film Festival
\nTeenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma<\/p>\n

Yes, that title is real.<\/a><\/p>\n

Directed by cult favourite Jane Schoenbrun (I Saw the TV Glow), this psychosexual horror follows a queer filmmaker spiralling into obsession while rebooting a fictional slasher franchise.<\/p>\n

Starring Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson, it sounds deeply unhinged in the most appealing possible way.<\/p>\n

Schoenbrun has quickly become one of the most exciting filmmakers exploring queer, trans and internet identity on screen, making this an instant must-watch for anyone who likes their cinema weird and emotionally destabilising.<\/p>\n

\"\"Image: Sydney Film Festival
\nLeviticus<\/p>\n

One of the most talked-about Australian queer titles on the lineup, Leviticus<\/a> blends supernatural horror with direct social commentary.<\/p>\n

Set in regional Victoria,<\/a> the film follows two queer teenage boys subjected to a Christian conversion ritual after being outed, while a terrifying entity takes the form of their deepest desires.<\/p>\n

Directed by Australian filmmaker Adrian Chiarella, the film premiered at Sundance to strong buzz.<\/p>\n

The Guardian described it as \u201can unnerving and timely queer horror.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Image: Sydney Film Festival
\nBody Blow<\/p>\n

Shot partly at Sydney\u2019s iconic Stonewall Hotel, Body Blow<\/a> feels especially local.<\/p>\n

The Australian thriller follows undercover cop Aiden as he enters Sydney\u2019s queer nightlife scene investigating criminal activity.<\/p>\n

Only to spiral into conspiracy, desire and danger after meeting a seductive bartender and sex worker.<\/p>\n

Featuring Tim Pocock and a special appearance from Kween Kong, the film is steeped in queer nightlife aesthetics and local LGBTQIA+ history.<\/p>\n

A dark, sweaty Sydney thriller? We know the audience for this.<\/p>\n

\"\"Image: Sydney Film Festival
\nThe Blood Countess<\/p>\n

If your ideal cinema experience includes vampires, decadence and Isabelle Huppert being deeply unsettling, The Blood Countess <\/a>is the one for you.<\/p>\n

Directed by legendary German filmmaker Ulrike Ottinger, the film follows Countess B\u00e1thory as she awakens in present-day Vienna after centuries of slumber.<\/p>\n

She begins searching for a mysterious red elixir, all while evading vampirologists, police and various people threatening the vampire world.<\/p>\n

Ottinger has long been regarded as a major queer auteur, with much of her work exploring gender, identity and outsider culture through surrealist, avant-garde filmmaking.<\/p>\n

\"\"Image: Sydney Film Festival
\nMaddie\u2019s Secret<\/p>\n

A satirical drama<\/a> marking the directorial debut of comedian and actor John Early, an openly gay comedian with a devoted queer following.<\/p>\n

Early also stars as Maddie, a rising vegetarian food influencer desperately trying to maintain an impossibly curated online persona while quietly battling an eating disorder.<\/p>\n

The film premiered at TIFF and has already generated buzz for its stylised, melodramatic take on internet identity, perfectionism and self-destruction.<\/p>\n

Variety\u00a0praised the film\u2019s sharp tone, while The Hollywood Reporter highlighted its satirical bite.<\/p>\n

\"\"Image: Sydney Film Festival
\nThere\u2019s plenty more queer gems to discover<\/p>\n

Other queer titles worth adding to your watchlist include:<\/p>\n

On The Road \u2014 a Queer Lion winning Mexican erotic road drama
\nBaby Jackfruit Baby Guava \u2014 a deeply personal documentary from queer Vietnamese filmmaker Quang Nh\u1eadt N\u00f4ng
\nJulian \u2014 follows a couple marrying in every country where same-sex marriage is legal
\nJoy Boy: A Tribute to Julius Eastman \u2014 exploring the life, music and activism of legendary gay Black composer Julius Eastman
\nThe Mutation \u2014 a Black Korean man joins a queer woman on her search for her missing partner
\nStrawberries \u2014 based on the modern exploitation of strawberry pickers in Spain<\/p>\n

Honestly, Sydney Film Festival may have just built a queer lineup so stacked it should come with emotional support afterwards.<\/p>\n

For more information on the festival and the full program visit the Sydney Film Festival website.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"Image: Sydney Film Festival<\/p>\n

For the latest LGBTIQA+\u00a0Sister Girl and Brother Boy\u00a0news,<\/a>\u00a0entertainment,<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0community stories<\/a>\u00a0in Australia, visit\u00a0qnews.com.au<\/a>. Find us on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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